Friends Again
by Kencat
Summary: AU. It's been three years since they've talked.
1. Chapter 1

Lucy sighed, repeatedly tapping the spacebar. She watched the cursor travel farther and farther down the page, abandoning the words written above. With another sigh, she backspaced. She had a serious case of writer's block and nothing seemed to be able to fix it. It'd been going on for weeks now. She glanced at the small calendar above her desk and groaned. She'd promised Levy the next chapter by Friday and it was already Tuesday. She barely even had three hundred words written. Lucy knew what she wanted to write about, but everything came out sounding dull and forced.

She would just have to text Levy and tell her that she'd need at least another week. Lucy snatched up her phone and typed out the message. Hopefully her best friend wouldn't be too disappointed. She hit send and abandoned her laptop, opting to go make dinner instead. Maybe a good meal would get her creativity flowing.

She bounded down the stairs, her hand glued to the railing. One fall resulting in a broken leg had made her careful. She never wanted to go through that sort of thing again. It wasn't even the broken leg that had been the annoying part. Sure, it had hurt, but nothing had been more frustrating than having an itch under her cast that she could never reach. It was only after her cast had been removed that she realized she could have just stuck a ruler down there.

Lucy pulled her hair into a long ponytail and for a brief moment, she debated on cutting it. It was longer than it had ever been and often got in the way. The thought was quickly cast aside when she opened her refrigerator. She puffed out her cheeks when she realized there wasn't much there. Blowing out the air, she took a moment to think. Spying a box of mix on top of the fridge, she decided. Pancakes were as good a dinner as anything, right?

Except she didn't have any eggs. Lucy slouched against the counter and groaned for the second time in less than ten minutes. She searched her cabinets for something, anything that she could make. Why hadn't she gone shopping sooner? She was internally cursing herself when she spotted the head of red hair out the window.

That's right. She could always go ask Mr. Dragneel for and egg or two. She quickly slid on her shoes and hurried outside. Lucy waved as she spotted him.

"Mr. Dragneel!"

He'd been in the middle of picking a suitcase off the ground when she called out. He smiled at her, making the x-shaped scar near his nose stand out. She'd always wondered how he'd gotten it. There was another jutting out from the bottom of his eye on the same side.

"Lucy, I've been telling you for years. Call me Igneel, alright?"

She nodded, though they both knew it wouldn't happen. Her father had ingrained that bit in her, along with other things, and calling an elder by their first name just seemed rude to her. Igneel had reassured her plenty of times that it wasn't the case, but the one time she'd called him by his first name had been awkward. At least, for her.

"Did you need something, kid?" Igneel ran a hand through his hair, the other still resting on the handle of his suitcase. She wondered if he'd just got back from a trip. She hadn't realized he'd been gone.

"Ah. I was just wondering if I could borrow some eggs from you, if that isn't too much trouble."

Igneel picked up the suitcase and motioned for her to follow him inside. The front door opened to the living room and the kitchen was right off that. He set the suitcase just inside the door and she followed him to the kitchen. Igneel's house always amazed her. It was larger than it looked from the outside and his walls were decorated with different paintings every time she came.

She asked about them one time and he had proudly declared that they were Natsu's work. Lucy had felt a pang inside her chest at that. She and Natsu had been close friends before he went away. He'd finally been accepted into a great art school and had left the next week. Just in time for the new semester. They'd had an argument just before. She couldn't even remember what it was about now. She hadn't heard from him after that. That had been three years ago. Igneel went to visit him a few times a year and offered to let her come with, but she always declined. Staying in Natsu's apartment would have been awkward enough without the three year gap since their last talk.

"So, what are you making? Something good?" Igneel asked as he peered into his fridge. Lucy happened to know that he ate like an animal and was always surprised at how well stocked his kitchen was. She couldn't even think about how much money he spent on food.

"Just pancakes, actually. I forgot to go shopping." She rubbed the back of her neck sheepishly. Igneel pulled his head out of the fridge and shot her a look. He was always worried that she wasn't taking good enough care of herself.

"You'll eat here with us, then." He said. His tone left no room for arguing. Before she had a chance to question who exactly 'us' was, two figures came rolling down the stairs, fists flying.

"Damn it, you droopy eyed bastard! Let me go!"

"Give me my phone, Natsu!"

Her eyes widened at that and sure enough she caught sight of his pink hair. Igneel growled deep in his throat and she slapped her hands over her ears just in time to protect herself from his yell.

"Will you two knock it off?!" He gripped each boy by the back of the shirt and slammed them together. They feel in a dazed heap.

Lucy didn't know the dark haired boy at all, but he wasn't her focus anyways. She finally got a good look at Natsu's face and twisted her hands together. He had filled out, that was for sure. His hair was pulled back with a hair tie, but that didn't stop the wild look to it. No longer was he a scrawny kid with a baby face. He wasn't nineteen anymore. No, Natsu looked like a man. Which, she realized, he was. He was twenty-two now. Three years was a long time, but to her they'd gone by in a flash.

His green eyes cut to her then and she waited for the look of recognition. Was he still angry? Would he want her to leave?

Instead of a surprised look, she got words that cut her to the bone.

"Yo, old man, who's this?" His brows furrowed and she noticed the dark haired boy's eyes on her as well.

She didn't stick around for Igneel's answer. She fled through the front door, eggs forgotten.

Xxx

The fist came down on his faster than he could dodge. Natsu let out a yelp of surprise.

"What the hell, dad?"

Igneel's eye was twitching slightly and was forced to take a deep breath to calm himself. Natsu was rubbing his head, Gray cackling beside him. Natsu shoved him, nearly resulting in another scuffle. One glare from Igneel stopped the battle before it started. Gray scratched at his bare stomach, somehow having lost his shirt.

"So, who was that girl, Ig?" Gray's face blanched for a moment before he spoke again. " _Please_ tell me that's not your girlfriend or something!"

"That's Lucy!" He shouted as if it were obvious.

"Luigi? What kind of name is that?" Natsu scratched his head.

Igneel groaned, wondering just how his child had managed to survive the last 22 years.

"Lucy! Y'know, the little blonde girl you used to play with all the time? The one whose mom died?" When Natsu only stared, Igneel spun around the living room, searching. There was a picture of the two of them around here somewhere. He spotted it on the TV stand and snatched it. Shoving it in Natsu's face, he wondered why he was so worried that Natsu remembered her.

Maybe it was because of the look on her face right before she stormed out. It just didn't sit right with him. Lucy was the daughter he never had and he had been the one to watch over her when her father passed away.

When Natsu had first gone away to school, Igneel had updated him on Lucy every time he had called. Until one day, Natsu asked him to stop.

" _I don't want to hear about her anymore, dad!"_

He would have thought Natsu was just being cruel if he hadn't heard the pain in his voice. It was for that very same reason that he never worried about Natsu forgetting her. They'd only been friends for roughly six months before Natsu left for school. Even so, Igneel had never seen his son so happy. Lucy was over every day and often cooked them dinner. She fit right in.

He'd been worried about it at first, surely her parents didn't want her over all the time. Even he made Natsu stay home every once in a while, if only to spend time with him. That was before he noticed the car that came to pick up Lucy's father was coming more and more frequently. 'Business trips', Lucy had told him.

When Jude had missed Lucy's birthday for one of these trips, Igneel felt the first twinges of protection for the girl. She'd shown up at their house that afternoon and Natsu had launched himself at her, wrapping his arms around her small frame. She'd shrieked and laughed.

" _Do you think your dad would wanna have dinner with us, kid?"_ He'd asked. She had smiled, mentioning that her father wasn't home. He almost didn't catch the way her lips wavered slightly. That was the day that he realized Lucy needed them just as much as they needed her.

Natsu glanced at the photo, Gray peering over his shoulder. He recognized himself instantly. At nineteen he'd been tall and lean. He had his arm slung around the shoulder of a blonde girl with shoulder length hair. Part of it had been pulled into a side ponytail and secured with a red ribbon. Natsu was grinning and the girl was in the middle of a laugh, her finger pointing to something off screen.

"She's cute." Gray commented. Natsu swiftly elbowed him in the side. With an 'oof', Gray hunched over.

Natsu stared at the photo a moment longer before shrugging and handing the photo back to his father. He stretched his arms over his head right as his stomach growled.

"What's for dinner?" He turned his back on his father and headed towards the kitchen.

Xxx

"Levy." Lucy was fighting back tears and she didn't know why. Why did she care if he didn't remember? She had a strict 'no crying over boys' policy, but she'd never loved a boy the way she'd loved Natsu. He'd been clueless of course. But, that had been part of his charm, she supposed.

She wasn't sure when they just stopped trying. It could have been more than a month after he'd left. She'd grown tired of hearing his voicemail, tired of sending messages that got no reply. She knew he had been busy, Igneel had told her as much. But, it only took two seconds to send a message.

It was after that that she guessed she just wasn't that important. They hadn't been friends for very long before he left, but in the short period of time he'd wormed his way into her heart.

She'd told him things no one else knew. Not even Levy. Lucy rubbed a hand down her face.

"Lu-chan? What's wrong?" Levy asked.

"Can, um, can you come over?"

"Sure thing! I get off in an hour."

Lucy didn't know how to describe what she was feeling. Or, her lack of feelings. When Levy showed up, she'd been sitting on her couch, though she didn't actually remember sitting down. Her TV had been on, but staring at it and watching were two different things. Levy had sensed her mood immediately, because that's just how Levy was. Her blue-haired friend had wrapped her tiny arms around Lucy without hesitation.

"Do you wanna talk about it? How are you feeling?"

She felt…blank. But, not. It was as if she was experiencing everything and nothing all at once. How was she supposed to explain that?

"Natsu's back." She said instead. "He doesn't even remember me, Levy."

"Oh, Lu." Levy's face softened. She knew exactly how Lucy had felt about the pink haired boy. Levy and Lucy hadn't met until after he left, but Lucy told her all about him. It was later that she found out that he was Gajeel's cousin.

"What am I supposed to do, Levy? I was fine. I was perfectly okay before he got here and now I feel like I have no control over myself. Part of me wants to go shout at him. Part of me wants to stay here and mope and another part just wants to pretend this never happened."

She hadn't prepared herself for the idea of meeting him again. When it became clear that they weren't talking anymore, Lucy had shoved him from her thoughts. She'd thrown herself into her work, cranking out article after article for Sorcerer Weekly and then afterwards, new chapters for her novel. She avoided anything that reminded her of him. It was like he didn't exist.

But, there had always been some part of her that managed to wiggle itself out of the recesses of her mind. A part of her that wondered if he was okay and if he'd made new friends. A part of her that wondered if he was happy and if he ever thought of her.

Xxx

Natsu could safely say out that he never expected Gray to be the one to confront him. Especially not at 3:30 in the morning after a long round of shooting zombies.

"Why are you pretending, Natsu?"

Natsu nearly dropped his controller. They'd been playing in silence for the past hour, a surprising feat for the two of them.

"What're you talking about?" He rubbed his nose and snatched his controller off the ground, starting a new match. Surely he didn't mean—

"Why are you acting like you don't know that Lucy girl? I've seen you paint her before. Just two weeks ago, actually." Gray spoke, but didn't look at him. He was still focused on the screen. He repeatedly pressed the trigger, unloading bullets into a zombie that happened to be too close.

"Tch. Mind your own business, princess." Natsu said. He fired a single shot, effectively killing a zombie. It took him a moment to notice that Gray had turned towards him, game forgotten.

Gray didn't ask again. He did, however, raise a single brow, his hand digging in his pocket for his phone.

"I could always call Erza…" He threatened.

"She's nobody, okay? It doesn't matter."

"If she didn't matter then I wouldn't be worried about you breaking my damn controller." Gray snatched it out of Natsu's hand. He turned it over, inspecting it for damages. Natsu didn't realize he'd been holding it so tight.

"She's just some girl I was friends with before. We got in a fight before I left for school and I haven't talked to her since then."

Gray whistled. "So, what? Was she your girlfriend, then? What did you guys fight about?"

Natsu huffed out a sigh. Gray had always been a nosey son of a bitch. "She wasn't my girlfriend. We were just friends. She got mad at me because I punched this guy that was her calling names just because her family has money. I knew she didn't like me fighting with people, but I didn't think that would stop her from coming to see me before I left."

"Ouch. That's cold."

Natsu closed his eyes, contemplating on whether he could thoroughly beat the shit out of Gray before his dad woke up.

"I'm aware, thanks. She called a few times after that, but I didn't feel like talking to her. Then she just stopped." Natsu shrugged then restarted the game. They'd been eaten by zombies almost as soon as they'd stopped playing.

"Happy now?" He asked, choosing his gun.

Gray didn't answer.

Xxx

They were sitting on the back porch when Lucy came out to swim. She had a friend with her that Natsu instantly recognized as Gajeel's girlfriend. He hadn't met her yet, but he knew that anyone who could put up with Gajeel's shit was a saint.

They were laughing when they came out and while Levy glanced over at the three of them, Lucy's eyes never strayed their way.

Natsu's eyes were glued to her, though. He watched as she pushed Levy in, laughing when the smaller girl broke the surface glaring.

"Lu-chan! How could you!?"

"Sorry, Levy!" Lucy didn't sound sorry to him, she was clutching her stomach, the sound of her laughter filling the air. With a jolt he realized that he missed the sound of it. Angry with himself for missing her, he tore his gaze away, only to find his father staring him down.

"You don't remember her at all? Seriously?" When Natsu shrugged again, Igneel sighed. It was the look of disappointment that caused his outburst. It pissed him off.

"What does it matter if I remember her? She's been fine without me this entire time! Besides, it only took her a few weeks before she stopped trying to call me or text me, so obviously I wasn't that important to her!"

"Man," It was Gray sighing this time. He shook his head before he patted Natsu on the back and went inside.

Igneel finally understood. Natsu had the same tone from back then. From back when he asked to stop hearing about Lucy. He was hurting, even now. How the hell had the two idiots created such a situation?

"I thought you didn't remember her?"

Natsu opened his mouth to speak, then closed it. He'd tripped himself up and his father knew it. Truth was, he remembered Lucy. The sight of her standing in their living room doorway had sent a shockwave through his system and left him with an ache he didn't know what to do with. So, he'd decided he didn't remember her. After all, she'd been the one who stopped calling.

His life had been hectic when he'd first arrived at Fairy Tail's Academy of the Arts. He made friends fast and they'd been distracting at first. Everything had been all about dividing his time between school work and his new friends. It had been overwhelming and each time he missed a call from Lucy, he told himself that he would catch her the next time. They would talk it out and everything would be okay. Until the next time never came.

When his father's reports told him that she was doing well, he wondered if she had moved on from him. If she didn't want to be friends anymore. He'd moped for days, debating on whether to call or not. After sending a text she never replied to, he got angry. If she didn't want to be his friend, then who needed her. It'd been hard at first. Especially since all he seemed to be able to paint for the first few months had been portraits of the blonde.

He would spend hours trying to accurately portray the way the sunlight glinted off her blonde hair and the way she looked when she cried. In the end, all he'd been left with was a reminder of a person who didn't seem to care about him anymore.

He'd destroyed all the paintings only to regret it later.

He'd finally stopped thinking about her around the time he turned twenty. He'd hit a burst of inspiration then, reimagining he and his friends as characters in a different world. Everything had been going well until his cousin Gajeel had shown him a picture of his girlfriend Levy. Lucy had photobombed it and just like that she had worked her way back into his paintings.

His dad was still waiting for answer and Natsu shrugged. There was no way he was just going to spill it all.

"Natsu. Go talk to her for Mavis' sake. She's missed you just as much as you've missed her."

"I haven't—" Igneel was already walking inside, waving over his shoulder.

"Good luck, kid."

xxx

Mr. Dragneel went inside and suddenly it was just Natsu sitting there. She watched him out of the corner of her eye. His hair was free of a hair tie today and it skimmed his jaw, just as messy as it ever was. It didn't look like he'd gotten a haircut the entire time he'd been gone. Lucy sat on the edge of the pool, the cool air making her shiver slightly. Her own hair had been piled atop her head, a vain attempt to keep it from getting tangled in the water.

Levy was floating on her back and as she drifted closer, Lucy kicked her foot, splashing water in her direction. Levy had been the ultimate distraction the past two days, keeping Lucy occupied with everything she could think of. She'd even helped Lucy figure out the next chapter of her novel. Not that she even had the current one written yet. They'd stayed up the previous night watching scary movies and the smaller girl had clung to Lucy's arm, using it to cover her eyes. It was a refreshing break from all her confusing feelings, that was for sure.

Levy cracked one eye open, eyeing Lucy. After all the time she'd spent avoiding the situation, maybe it was time for Lucy to go talk to him. It couldn't get much worse than him not remembering her, right?

"Lucy, maybe you should—"

"Yeah."

Xxx

Still, it wasn't until days later that they spoke again.

Natsu and Gray had gone to a party. It'd been a total dud. They would have had more fun pulling weeds. So, they left, stopping at the store on the way home to pick up a new videogame. He had been pulling in the driveway when he saw her sitting outside, a book in her hand. She seemed to be totally immersed. She didn't even look up when he slammed the car door or when he told Gray that he would meet him inside. Gray shot him a thumbs up, which Natsu assumed meant 'don't fuck it up'.

He'd had days to think on everything. Days to realize that he just wanted to be friends with Lucy again. He wanted to laugh with her and see how excited she got over the smallest things. He wanted to tease her and eat dinner with her and make fun of her for being a weirdo. The whole situation was stupid. He'd kicked himself more than once for not just calling her all those years ago. He just didn't know if she would even want to be friends with him after everything. There was only way to find out, right?

Lucy hadn't gone inside. She was still sitting on her front porch when he walked up, a blanket thrown over her lap. It was getting dark and she'd turned on her porch light.

"Why?" His question startled her and her head shot up. When she realized it was him, her expression changed. She looked almost sad.

"Why what?" She asked, pulling her blanker closer as if he were threatening to steal it. She eyed him wearily when he sat beside her, making the swing rock slightly.

"My dad told me that you missed me, but if you missed me then why'd you stop calling? I waited for you to call for so long, Luce."

He was almost as surprised as she was. That wasn't what he intended to say. Her eyes widened at his use of her nickname and he couldn't remember if they'd always been that brown.

"You never answered, Natsu. Phones work two ways. I-," She paused, almost as if she were thinking about what to say next, "I missed you terribly, but you never answered so I thought I was bothering you. You went to school to become the best that you could be and I didn't want to distract you from that, especially when your dad told me that you were working really hard."

"Plus, we had that fight, so after a while I thought that you hated me. A month passed by and you hadn't called and I thought maybe you had made better friends and for a while I was okay with that, because I wanted you to be happy. Even if it meant leaving me behind." Lucy was rambling, she knew. She felt him tense beside her. She'd imagined telling him this a thousand times but it had never been like this. It had never been so awkward.

"Then one day I got really mad because you were my best friend and I wasn't going to let anyone steal you from me." Natsu chuckled, recalling that Lucy had quite the stubborn streak. His laughter quickly vanished.

"You didn't do anything about it, though."

"I did. I called one last time. It went straight to voicemail. I guess I took that as a sign to give up." She sighed.

"That isn't fair. Jeesh. My phone was probably dead." It almost made him mad, the way she'd thought that anyone else could have been more important than she had been.

Lucy rested her head on the back of the swing and closed her eyes.

"What does it matter, Natsu? That was three years ago. We've both grown up. We've both got our own lives." She stood up to go back inside. "You're going to go back to school and we won't even talk after this."

No. There was no way in hell it was ending this way. They had a chance here. A chance to be friends again and he wasn't going to give it up. Was she crazy? He snatched up her hand, forcing her to stop. With one hand on the doorknob, she looked back at him.

"You really think I'm going to let us mess it up a second time, Luce?" He shook his head. There was no way. Maybe it had been his fault all those years ago. Maybe it had been hers. Maybe it had been the both of them. That didn't matter anymore. All that mattered was that Lucy Heartfilia was here in front of his and he wasn't going to lose her again.

"We may not have spoken for a stupid amount of time, but you're still my friend. You still know things about me that no one else does. I've missed you, Lucy and I'm not going to do this anymore. I'm done pretending that I don't care. You're stuck with me now. I'm here for the summer. I've got a year of school left and then I'm moving back home. So, just sick it out, okay? I'll call everyday if I have to. I just want us to be friends again."

Somewhere during his speech, she'd looked away from him. She met his gaze now, hers full of unshed tears. Was he serious? Even after three years, she was sure that he still hated her. But, here he was, holding her hand and demanding that she not give it all up. He looked so determined.

If there was anything she knew, it was that she had never been able to resist that look.

"Okay."

Her smile took his breath away.

When Natsu grinned, she couldn't help but laugh. He trotted down her stairs and waved as he jogged next door.

"We're gonna hang out tomorrow, Luce! There's no going back now!"

And they did.

And when Natsu went back to school, she stood in his drive way with Igneel, waving as he and Gray drove away.

Her phone buzzed as soon as he was out of sight.

 _Wanna come visit next weekend?_


	2. Chapter 2

She was nervous, to say the least. When Natsu first asked her to visit him, she hadn't realized that it meant meeting all of his other friends. But, here she was at a party with Gray and Natsu. She and Gray got along well and she'd actually been helping him understand his feelings for a girl named Juvia. Lucy was convinced that he loved her, but Gray wasn't quite so sure.

Juvia had thrown herself into his arms the moment they stepped into the house and Lucy watched as he smiled slightly.

"Lucy, this is Juvia. Juvia, this is Lucy, Natsu's friend."

Juvia looked her up and down for a moment. "You're the one who got to spend the whole summer with Gray-sama."

It wasn't a question and her tone left Lucy feeling like she'd somehow done something wrong.

"You are my rival in love!"

Lucy stared, wondering if this girl was serious. So far, she hadn't had a single glimpse of the girl Gray had described. Maybe Juvia only acted that way with him. Which, in its own way, was sort of sweet.

"Juvia, chill. Her and Natsu are a thing."

"We're not!" Lucy protested. Speaking of Natsu, where the hell had he gone? They hadn't even been here ten minutes and he'd already left her.

She'd never been to a party before, not that she'd told them. Her nerves left her when Gray introduced her to the rest of their friends, a rambunctious group that welcomed her with open arms.

xxx

Erza handed her another drink and Lucy tossed it back without protest. She decided then that she liked Natsu's friends. They were nice and bought her drinks. Cana slapped a hand on Lucy's back, grinning.

"Y'know, for a girl who says she's never been to a party, you're sure tossing those like a pro!" Cana grabbed another mug for herself, sipping the amber liquid. Lucy wasn't even sure what she'd been drinking, but she did know that she was having fun, even without Natsu around. She had no idea where he'd run off to, but his friends were taking care of her. A new song started blaring over the speakers and Cana quickly downed the rest of her drink and snatched Lucy's hand.

"Let's dance!"

Lucy was in no mood to complain and let Cana drag her away. She tossed her head back laughing when Cana did a sultry wiggle of her hips, raising an eyebrow at Lucy. She couldn't even remember the last time she'd had this much fun. Maybe next time she could get Levy to come along. If anything, she could at least see Gajeel while she was here. Lucy had only met Gajeel a few times. He was rough looking and had at least thirty piercings that she could see, if not more. She'd asked Levy one time, but her friend had only stuttered and blushed.

Halfway through the song, Lucy felt a pair of lips against her ear. She shuddered, automatically assuming it was Natsu. He'd never done something like—

"Hello there. Has anyone told you that your beauty radiates like a thousand stars? I feel as if I need sunglasses just to look at you."

That wasn't Natsu's voice. Lucy pulled away from the male, turning to look at him. He was a ginger, that was the first thing she noticed. The second was that he was fairly attractive.

He was waiting for a response.

Lucy flushed, embarrassed both by the compliment and by the fact that she had honestly believed it to be Natsu.

"Oh, um, thank you." She took a step toward Cana, but his hand fell on her waist and pulled her closer. Lucy glanced over her shoulder for help, but Cana was facing away from her, dancing with a dark haired guy she'd had her eye on all night. Bacchus. That was his name.

"Do me the honors of dancing with me, princess."

She placed her hands on his chest, fully intending to push him away when he was ripped away from her. She saw a fist fly towards his face, watched him reel back in response. He cupped a hand to his nose and Lucy didn't miss the trickle of blood that ran from his nose. She was shoved behind someone, her face pressed against their back. She was ready to pull away from them, to run to Erza, when they spoke.

"Keep your damn hands off'a Lucy!"

Natsu.

She rested her head in between his shoulder blades, her hands curling into the fabric of his shirt. She smiled, finding the warmth of his body soothing. She didn't hear anything else that was said, but she assumed the guy had walked away when Natsu suddenly turned around, startling her. His hands were cupping her face and he was staring at her intently.

After a few seconds, she started to wonder if she had something on her face, but then he let her go, grabbing her hand instead.

"I think it's time to go, Luce."

She nodded.

Xxx

Lucy didn't remember going to sleep the night before, but she woke up with Natsu's arm thrown across her waist and for a moment, wondered what else she didn't remember.

She quickly shook the thought away. Natsu wasn't that kind of person and they didn't have that kind of relationship.

She sighed in relief, rubbing at her temple. Her head ached. Was this what it felt like to be hungover? She didn't know. Maybe she shouldn't have accepted every single drink that Erza had offered.

"There's some medicine on the table."

His voice startled her. It was low and gruff and laced with sleep. Lucy muttered her thanks and pushed his arm off of her. She swallowed the pill and drank half the water, leaving the rest for Natsu if he wanted it.

She should have been embarrassed that they had slept in the same bed, but for some reason the fact that it was Natsu made it okay.

"I'll shower first, then." She told him.

He grunted in response, his face still buried in the pillow. He was already moving to take up the empty space on the bed. She almost laughed.

Xxx

Somehow, she didn't notice the paintings until she was freshly showered and headed back to Natsu's room to grab a brush out of her bag. Leave it to Natsu to not even own one. She halted just inside his door. There was canvas upon canvas leaned against the far wall. The one that caught her eye was huge. It was breathtaking.

It was them.

Natsu was holding her, one hand on the small of her back, the other resting on the back of her head. His expression stern and looking at something out of view. Lucy was crying, her arms pinned between them. The background looked like a warzone and Lucy recognized the scarf around his neck as the one Igneel had given him. There was some sort of mark on his right shoulder and she had a matching one on her left hand. They were both bruised and battered.

"Lucy! I made food!" Natsu shouted from the kitchen. She quickly ran the brush through her hair before going to join him.

Xxx

They were watching a movie when she asked him about the painting. She'd never seen anything like it at Igneel's house. Natsu blushed slightly, rubbing his nose.

"Ah. I told you that I didn't actually forget you, weirdo."

"Natsu, those painting are really good. I didn't know you were that good." She pointed a finger at him, leaning close.

"You could have told me! I want you to paint me something now!"

"You can have whichever one you want." He wasn't expecting her eyes to light up at his words, or for her to suddenly look so damn cute.

"Really? I can?" She smiled at him before throwing her arms around him in thanks.

"Now shut up so I can watch the movie, Luce."

She stuck out her tongue, but curled against him, focusing her attention back on the movie.

Natsu wondered what the hell he'd been thinking not calling her back three years ago. If he could go back and change it, he would. There was just something about being lazy on a Saturday and watching movies with his best friend that made everything, like deadlines for school, seem less important.

Happy jumped onto Lucy's lap and she didn't hesitate to delve her fingers into his fur, laughing at something on the screen.

Yeah, Natsu thought, this right here was the most important thing.


	3. Chapter 3

Lucy had never been more proud of Natsu in his entire life. Or at least, in the entire time that she'd known him. He'd been bouncing off the walls only an hour ago and she wondered how he was managing to keep quiet during the ceremony. They'd listened to four different speakers already and Lucy's bottom was beginning to ache. Mr. Dragneel was sitting beside her, leg shaking. Igneel was exuding happiness. All he'd ever wanted was for his son to succeed in life and here they were.

He was proud, excited for his son and it made Lucy wish her own parents were alive to feel that way for her.

"Natsu told me to tell you that he had something to say to you after all this, Lucy." Igneel whispered. Lucy nearly groaned. She hated knowing things like that. Now she was going to spend the entire time wondering just what exactly he had to tell her. It was probably something stupid, like that he left his wallet at home and wanted her to pay for dinner.

Then the students were standing. Name after name was called out and each student walked across the stage to shake hands with various people. Lucy recognized Makarov up there. She'd met him two or three times and thought that he was great. He treated all of the students as if they were his own children.

She cheered when Cana's name was called, getting more and more excited as they got closer to Natsu's name.

She could see him standing off to the side of the stage, his pink hair easy to spot. He was grinning as he adjusted his cap.

Then they called for him

"Natsu Fintan Dragneel."

Lucy was cheering before the name even left Makarov's mouth.

"That's my best friend!" She jumped up and down, pointing.

"That's my son!" Igneel shouted beside her, hands cupped around his mouth. Lucy hurriedly pulled out her phone, snapping a picture of Natsu walking across the stage. It was a rather good one, he was grinning from ear to ear as he shook Makarov's hand. As Natsu found his way back to his seat, she sent it to him.

 _I'm so proud of you, Natsu!_

She didn't pay very much attention after that, only cheering when she heard Gray, Juvia, Gajeel and Erza's names called.

"So, Natsu's middle name is Fintan?" She turned to Igneel, her brow raised in question. Natsu had refused to tell her his middle name for ages and now she knew why. It wasn't the greatest.

Igneel only shrugged, "It means 'white fire'."

Xxx

She stood on her tip toes, trying to see over the heads of everyone else standing around. The audience had been directed to an empty field just outside the building. Some of the graduates had finally started to show up, their red gowns easily differentiating them from everyone else.

But, Natsu was nowhere to be found.

"I don't see him." She jumped, trying to get a glimpse of him coming out the door. Then there were hands on her waist and she spun around, startled.

"Hey, Lucy!"

She should have known. Igneel clapped a hand on his shoulder.

"I'm seriously proud of you, son and I know your mom would be, too." Natsu's smile softened. His mother had died during childbirth. He'd never even got to meet her.

There were tears in Mr. Dragneel's eyes that Natsu didn't fail to notice. He shoved his father lightly.

"Don't go getting sappy on me, old man!" Igneel laughed, pushing Natsu back.

"Alright, alright. I get it. Now get over there so I can get a picture of the two of you."

Natsu tossed his arm around her shoulder, yanking her close. He smiled for the picture, his hand snaking down to tickly Lucy's side. She laughed and at that was the moment Igneel captured. He glanced at it and nodded. It was going in the living room with the other.

"I'm gonna go find Gray now and get him over here. Maybe we can get Gajeel to take a picture, too." Lucy doubted it, but Igneel pushed his way through the crowd and then it was just the two of them.

Natsu's fingers still danced along her side. Lucy shoved him away, but he somehow managed to pull her closer. No longer were they side by side. Natsu had a hand at the small of her back, her arms trapped between their bodies.

Caught off guard, she could only stare him, a blush creeping along her cheeks. Natsu had never held her like this before. She searched his green eyes as if they were going to give her a reason as to they were so close.

Then Natsu's hand was cupping her cheek and he was kissing her and Lucy nearly gasped. Her eyes fluttered shut and before she knew it her hands were in his hair and she was kissing him back. It could have been minutes or seconds that they stood wrapped up in each other, she didn't know.

The sound of cheering had them pulling away from each other, each searching for the source. Their friends were walking up, each with a shit eating grin on their faces. Behind them was Mr. Dragneel, shooting Natsu a thumbs up.

Natsu and Lucy made eye contact for a brief moment before Natsu turned away, face flushed. Gray patted him on the back, his hand entertained in Juvia's.

"Took you guys long enough."

"Oi, shut up, bastard."

"You finally told him you liked him, Lu-chan?"

That was Levy. She broke away from Gajeel, embracing Lucy in a tight hug. "I'm so happy for you!"

"I, uh, actually didn't say anything." Lucy thought she'd been quiet, but Gray overheard.

"So, Natsu's the one who confessed? I didn't think you had it in you."

Natsu rubbed the back of his neck sheepishly. Igneel narrowed his eyes at his son. Of all the shitheads in the world, his son had to be the biggest one.

"You didn't confess, did you? You had a plan, Natsu!"

"I'm pretty sure I got the damned point across, dad!"

They were creeping closer to each other, slowly invading the other's personal space. It wasn't until their foreheads were touching and they were both glaring daggers that Lucy accidentally let out the first giggle.

She hadn't meant to. Leave it to those two to argue about something like that. They pulled away, both seemingly startled by her laughter.

"What're ya laughing for?" Igneel shouted.

"You guys basically confessed for us!"

Natsu was on her side, then. "Yeah! Can't two people have a moment to themselves before you guys come butting in?"

Igneel threw up his hands. "We'll come back then." He was already walking away before he turned back around. Lucy fully expected his words to be for Natsu.

She was wrong.

"Lucy Heartfilia, give that son of mine a proper confession, okay?"

Then they were gone. Somehow, Lucy guessed that they weren't actually that far away. All of their friends were as nosey as one person could be.

"You heard him, Luce. Give me a proper confession this time."

Lucy glared. He was the one supposed to be doing the confessing! That must have been what he was going to tell her. It was almost sweet, the way he'd talked to his dad about it. Natsu grinned, fully expecting her to say something.

If he wanted a damn confession so bad, she'd give him one. It wasn't like he hadn't guessed how she felt by now.

"Natsu Fintan Dragneel." She watched him flinch at her use of his middle name. Oh yeah, he was never living that down.

"I met you when I was nineteen years old and I have never met someone more annoying and aggravating," his smile faltered and she almost felt bad, "and sweet and kind. I don't even know when I realized that I loved you. Maybe it was back before you left for school. Maybe it was—"

He didn't let her finish. Natsu yanked her close, wrapping his arms around her tightly. He knew that he would always remember this day as the best day of his life.

He'd known for a while now. That he loved her. He remembered thinking that it must have been some sort of fluke feeling at first. But, his feelings got stronger and he knew that he was in trouble. For a while, he'd been content just being her friend. Then she started going on dates more frequently, making sure to tell him about each and every one. He thought for sure she was just trying to torture him. He'd been working up his courage for days, hoping that she'd at least say that she liked him as more than a friend. He could have worked with that. But, for Lucy Heartfilia to say that she loved him with zero hesitation…

It was perfect. He rested his chin on the top of her head, felt her arms slide around his torso. He finally noticed that other people were watching them. Some of them were smiling. Others looked annoyed. He didn't care either way.

"I love you, too, Luce."


	4. Chapter 4

Natsu watcher her descend the staircase and almost wished they didn't have plans for the night. Her hair was pulled up in some sort of twist that he was sure had an unnecessarily fancy name. Her black dress hugged her body, the neckline plunging into a deep V. The fabric fell just below her knees. She had on a pair of killer heels and Natsu knew her feet would be aching by the end of the night. If only he could take her back upstairs and—

"Are you ready to go?"

He swallowed hard. It wasn't like this was his first exhibit, but it was certainly different. He'd taken quite a few risks with this one and wasn't even sure if people would like it. No, he was scared Lucy wouldn't like it.

Noticing his nerves, Lucy slid her arms around his neck. She linked her hands together behind his head.

"It'll go great, Natsu. Don't worry so much." She gave him a quick kiss and released him. Her words calmed him slightly. Everything would be fine. It had to be

* * *

He almost wished he'd hired someone to capture her facial expressions, or maybe to record the way she whispered his name, her hand covering her mouth as if to hide her shock. She spun around slowly, taking in as much as she could. Each and every single painting was her. Every last one. They all seemed to be from Natsu's point of view. You could catch the smallest bits of Natsu's body in the paintings, like his hand as he cupped her cheek, but never his face.

Lucy took her time looking at each one. She was laughing. She was crying. She was resting her head on his chest. Lucy was crying as she stepped from piece to piece, but they weren't sad tears. No. She was smiling, her hand in his as she led him through each room, heels clicking on the floor. She had no idea how he managed to keep all this from her. It explained why he kept telling her the pieces were a surprise, though.

People started to recognize her as the girl in the paintings, pointing and whispering about the similarities as if she couldn't hear them. Any other time, she would have been mad, but she wasn't going to let anything ruin this moment.

Everyone thought Natsu was dense and unromantic, but he was actually the sweetest person she'd ever met. He always went out of his way to make her smile, something she'd never experienced with anyone before. Sure, he called her weird, but he used it as an endearment not an insult.

It wasn't until the very last painting that she dropped his hand, using both of hers to cover her mouth. She let out an almost inaudible noise, but Natsu heard it all the same. For the first time since they arrived, she spun around to face him. She'd been expecting the sight, but that didn't stop her from laughing through her tears.

Natsu was down on one knee, mimicking the painting behind her. It had been the only one with his face in it. Instead of seeming to be from his perspective, it was from hers. Natsu slipped the square box from his pocket, presenting it to her.

He hadn't been nervous about the exhibit itself. It was this moment. A moment that he had been planning for nearly six months.

"Wanna be a Dragneel, Luce?" His voice was soft, a stark contrast to his usual loud and boisterous tone.

Lucy laughed again. She wasn't making fun of him. She was just so happy. The whole night had taken her completely by surprise. She nodded, unable to form the right words and extended her left hand.

Natsu could barely believe it. He slid the ring on her finger, his mother's ring, in one smooth motion. Natsu yanked her close, kissing her fiercely. He had no doubts that Lucy loved him, but he hadn't known if she was ready for this. Ready to be with him forever. People had started clapping, some cheering and he heard a familiar voice shout.

"Finally, you pink haired fuck!"

Natsu raised his arm behind him, middle finger up, kissing Lucy all the while. She giggled and pulled away from him. Lucy grinned up at him, tears still evident in her eyes. She was beautiful, even then.

Mavis, he couldn't wait to spend the rest of his life with this girl.


	5. Chapter 5

Lucy laughed as Happy, their cat, batted away at a piece of wrapping paper that Natsu had thrown behind him. Leave it to Happy to be far more interested in that instead of the heap of cat toys they bought him.

The pile of presents under the tree were slowly diminishing. Natsu snagged a poorly wrapped one and tossed it her way. She giggled as she caught it. The boy could not wrap presents to save his life, something Lucy thought was adorable.

She pretended to think hard about which one to give him next, causing him to wiggle in place in his spot on the floor. Natsu loved getting presents, no matter who they were from. She finally chose and tossed it towards him. He fumbled it, cursing as a sharp corner scraped across his bare chest.

She counted down from three to one with her fingers and they each tore apart the wrapping. Natsu tossed his behind him once again, paying no mind to the fact that it landed right on top of Happy.

Natsu's eyes widened when he could see his gift clearly and Lucy smiled. He'd been toying around with watercolor lately and was quite good at it. He'd mentioned a few weeks back about picking up some new brushes, so she'd done it for him.

She knew next to nothing about art, but the worker from the store assured her that Natsu would love them. He did. His fingers twitched with the desire to test them out.

When he finally pulled his eyes from the brushes, he shot her a wide grin.

"Thanks, Luce!"

She'd been nervous about his gifts this year, afraid he wouldn't like some of them, but Natsu had opened each one with a smile that never faded.

He'd done a really good job picking out her gifts as well. Many of them were books that she was sure Levy had hinted at. They were perfect. She couldn't wait to read them.

"If you don't like that kind," Natsu said, nodding to the perfume in her hand, "We can take it back and get something else."

She was surprised that he'd bought her anything scented, if she was being honest. Natsu raved about how he enjoyed her natural scent and usually turned his nose up at most of the perfumes she wore. 'Too chemical smelling', he said.

She sprayed a bit in the air, leaning in to smell the mist.

It was wonderful, a mix of strawberries and vanilla. It was easily one of the best things she'd smelled in her life. If Natsu had bought it for her, that meant he like it, too. She almost couldn't wait to wear it.

Natsu grabbed her last gift, a medium sized box that left her confused. She tipped it this way and that, and still had no clue what it was.

"Well, open it!" Natsu was nearly bouncing with a level of excitement that left her hoping that she loved it. She didn't want to disappoint him.

She had no reason to worry. The last of the paper came off and she gasped in surprise.

Never in her life had she expected Natsu to buy her a brand new computer. Hers had quit working two weeks ago and nothing she did would get the thing to turn on. She'd had to resort to writing the next chapter of Fairy Tail on paper. She'd been lucky that she always saved the story on a flash drive or she would have been out a year of work that she never would have gotten back.

"Natsu…" She set the box on the floor beside her and practically threw herself in to his arms. She wound her arms around him tightly, trying to express her gratitude. She felt more than heard him laugh, his shoulders shaking ever so slightly.

He pressed a kiss to the top of her head. "I'm glad you like it, Luce."

Lucy twisted around in his lap, snagging the last present from underneath the tree. She settled back against his chest, his legs on either side of her.

She eyed the small gift, entirely full of nerves. This was the most important present she would give him today.

His arms came around each side of her, gripping the gift. He tore at the paper in the same manner he'd had all morning. She watched his fingers dig into red fabric. She pushed the paper aside when he lifted it up to unfold.

She couldn't hide her smile when she felt him tense behind her, looking up to read the words sewn across the material.

 _I love my daddy_

He paused and she could feel his eyes on her. When he spoke, it was no more than a whisper.

"Lucy?"

His hand dropped down to her stomach, the onesie falling to the floor.

"We're gonna have a baby, Natsu." She wasn't very far along. Hell, she wasn't even showing yet, but that didn't stop Natsu from tugging her shirt up to expose her stomach, pressing his palms to her skin.

She still hadn't seen his face, so she twisted her body, turning in his arms. Lucy hadn't expected the tears, but she didn't mention them. She rested her head against his shoulder and they sat like that until Gajeel threw open their front door, an arm slung around his wife.

The dark haired man stared at their mess.

"Oi, everyone else is gonna be here soon. You guys were supposed to make breakfast!" He cursed when Levy elbowed him in the side. She didn't seem to care about his growling stomach at all.

Natsu shot him a glare, "Shut your mouth, metal head. If I wanna sit here with my woman and my baby, I will."

Gajeel opened his mouth to throw an insult back before he seemed to catch on. He shook his head instead of speaking. He would let it slide this one time. After all, he couldn't be angry. He was going to spoil the shit out of that Dragneel baby, he already knew.

He dragged a disbelieving Levy towards the kitchen.

"Where are your pans then, Salamander?"

If they weren't going to cook him food, he would do it himself.


	6. Chapter 6

Natsu grinned devilishly, pushing hair from his face in one rushed movement. Green eyes were locked on his target and though it was tiny, the little shit was fast.

Natsu stared a moment longer, eyeing the sword his target held. Could Natsu capture him unscathed?

There was only one way to find out. He shot forward, vaulting himself over the couch with one hand. When his bare feet hit the floor, the room shook.

He roared before he started forward again.

There was a scream of terror from the tiny creature before it took off running, winding its way through a maze of rooms. Natsu was getting closer, gaining ground with every step. He rounded a corner, arms stretching, hands reaching. He managed to grab a handful of fabric and the thing was forced to stop.

He twisted it around in his arms, words of victory on his tongue.

But, he had forgotten about the sword. It pierced his chest and Natsu stared with wide eyes. Surely this tiny thing couldn't kill him. That was impossible.

His body slumped, his legs no longer able to support his weight. He fell to his knees, sending tingles up his thighs. The creature giggled in delight, then yanked the sword from his chest.

Natsu fell face first, slain.

"I win!" The thing screeched, dancing in place.

Brown eyes stared at the felled beast, almost as if he were waiting. He tapped its head with his sword, frowning when it still didn't move.

He crouched down and used his thumb to lift up one of the eye lids. A green eye stared back at him, unseeing. Until it suddenly shot towards him, arms reaching for him in the same moment.

"You thought you could slay a mighty fire dragon?" Natsu bellowed, capturing the creature in his arms. There was no way he could escape now.

The thing screeched again, wiggling in his arms like a worm.

"Daddy, that's cheating!" Aiden pouted, staring up at Natsu with the same eyes as his mother.

Natsu lightened his hold and then there was a knock at the front door. Aiden ripped himself from his arms, darting to the door.

Natsu shot after him, releasing a growl of irritation. "Don't you dare open that door, Aiden!"

He and Lucy were trying to teach him the importance of stranger danger, but the kid just didn't get it.

"But, it's grandpa!" Aiden yelled over his shoulder, his hand reaching for the knob. Natsu slapped a palm against the door, preventing him from opening it.

"You don't know that for sure. That's why we look."

Aiden huffed in annoyance and shoved the curtain away from the sidelight, peeking out. Natsu took a look as well, just to be sure.

"See? It is him."

"Go ahead, then." Natsu moved his hand and Aiden yanked open the door and latched his arms and legs around Igneel's leg, his butt settled right on his grandfather's foot.

Natsu snickered.

Igneel worked his way inside and that's when Aiden caught sight of the gift in his hand.

"Is that for me?" His eyes were glued to it, even as Igneel set it on the dining room table.

"Yeah, but not until later, kid."

The rest of them arrived a few minutes later and Natsu could swear that Aiden's eyes widened with each gift he saw. His birthday wasn't until Tuesday, but with everyone working, it was easier to have his party the Saturday before.

When Gajeel walked through the door with four, Natsu shot Levy a look. She shook her head, pointing in Gajeel's direction.

"It was all him." She blamed. Natsu didn't doubt it. Gajeel was notorious for spoiling everyone.

She ushered Seb through the doorway, ruffling a hand through his blue hair, the only thing he'd acquired from his mother other than her cleverness. The messy hair, red eyes and stern look to him were entirely Gajeel.

He muttered a greeting before he caught sight of the rest of the kids and then he was all smiles. He glanced up at Levy for approval and when she nodded, he vanished.

Sebastian was only a few months younger than Aiden and the two were best friends. Seb was followed pretty closely by Ava, Erza's daughter. She was an exact replica of the redhead, which Jellal liked to say was for the best.

Ava's parents were sitting on the same couch he had launched himself over only an hour earlier. Erza was listening to Lucy talk. His wife was flailing her hands wildly, her long hair pulled up and away from her face and he couldn't fathom what sort of story she was telling them.

He watched her toss her head back and laugh, the sound bringing a grin to his own face. Mavis, she was beautiful. Lucy glanced over at him and smiled ever so slightly. A smile reserved just for him. Aiden came and sat on her lap, begging to open presents and Natsu stared at his tiny family.

No, he thought, that wasn't right. They were all his family, blood or not. Even the tiny bean growing inside Juvia.

Igneel came and threw an arm over his shoulder and stood for a moment, watching in the same way Natsu had been.

"You did good, kid." He said, voicing Natsu's own thoughts.

Natsu nodded. He couldn't ask for a better family if he tried.

And while Aiden was opening gifts, he wound his arms around Lucy from behind, resting his chin on her shoulder.

"I want more, Luce. At least 32."

She giggled, placing her hand on his arm. "You'll have to settle with one more for right now."

He grunted.

Then stood straight.

She raised a brow in his direction before handing Aiden his next present. She could feel his eyes on her back as Aiden opened it. It was a stuffed red dragon from Gajeel that she knew he would love.

"What do you mean for right now?"

"What do you think I meant?"

Then he was back in her ear and she could tell he'd figured it out. "Okay, but that leaves 31 more, you know."

"Of course."


End file.
